In the Marvel Universe: I can summon items from all dimensions.

Chapter 115 On Stepping Stones

That won't do. After all, I'm standing here to cause trouble. If no one comes to beat me up, then all my previous outrageous remarks will have been for nothing.

But don't get me wrong, he's not some kind of villain or lunatic. He just wants to build up some fame before officially starting the Tower of Trials. Based on simple logic, he had already anticipated this from the moment he called Conan.

And that was exactly his goal—if he wanted to do something big, he first needed to let everyone know that he was someone important, just like how online streamers need to create a stir to increase their popularity. Mason meant the same thing.

However, his work with Conan and others to wipe out the cyborgs at the winery a few days ago was obviously not ruthless enough. In the eyes of the current higher-ups, he is probably just a magician with some skills, and they probably don't take what he says too seriously. In order to change this impression, he deliberately lured Conan and his group to bring this force to his doorstep. Otherwise, why would he bother with crime announcements?

"You want me to go with you?"

Surrounded by numerous soldiers, Mason simply spread his arms and revealed a nonchalant smile.

But to be honest, this attitude feels a bit like stubbornly clinging to a sliver of hope.

Not only now, but from the very beginning of his transmigration, when facing the Hand, the Brotherhood, or even that armed robber with a knack for comedy, he always appeared calm on the surface, but inside he was experiencing a surge of emotions, large and small, which he simply didn't show.

This is normal. Even if Mei is not mentally normal, before stepping into the Marvel Universe, he was just a middle manager of an unknown Internet company. Even Buddha needed to sit under a Bodhi tree after experiencing great storms to attain enlightenment. Can a mere twenty-six years of ordinary life cultivate a fearless and extraordinary person?

In other words, during the short period after his transmigration, although he was excited and overjoyed to have become an extraordinary being, the joy was not enough to completely offset his tension. Even though he knew that he was practically immortal when he had enough mana, he still felt fear and unease when he was hurt or about to be hurt.

However, humans are ultimately creatures with a strong ability to adapt. Due to the thrilling and exciting nature of his recent experiences, Mason can even directly perceive that his personality is undergoing a change. Just as a steel billet undergoing forging gradually becomes tougher, the "impure things" he has accumulated in his ordinary life over the past twenty-six years are also gradually fading away, and he is becoming more and more free.

This should be considered a good thing. After experiencing this series of events, he became able to shoot himself in the head without hesitation and devise a plan that seemed crazy to most people in the blink of an eye. A Mason stronger than ever before was being born. However, humans are also creatures who like to reminisce about the past. Deep in his heart, the weak parts that had been reduced to dregs by self-forging were still making a final struggle, fearing the being that was being born.

This made Mason feel somewhat conflicted.

Actually, this is nothing special. Which strong person hasn't challenged themselves on their path to growth? Mason was just a little overwhelmed by the rapid changes, but precisely because of this, he didn't even have much time to think before he grew to where he is now.

There's a kind of beauty in the way that great effort produces miracles.

Regardless of what kind of result such unchecked growth might lead to, Mason himself doesn't see any problem with it; in fact, he seems to enjoy it.

When he was threatened by the Hand ninja before, he immediately took out the Black Stone Mist Feather and killed the other party. But before that, he was indeed quite scared. However, at this moment, although he was not completely at peace and the shadow of fear was still writhing, it was as insignificant as a drop of ink in a lake. He would probably be able to fully adapt to this magnificent pace of life after a while.

But before that, he still has to walk the path step by step.

Mason walked forward with his hands behind his back, approaching the brave soldier. He shook his head and said, "Being able to call me by name means you at least know who I am. Hmm, maybe you're just an unlucky coward who was given a brief instruction from your superiors and rushed out to carry out your mission?"

"Mr. Mason, please refrain from any unnecessary actions. If possible, we hope to complete the mission without resorting to any violence—"

"6

The soldiers were still trying to convince Mason through conversation that he was a capable man who hadn't shown any weakness even in this situation, but the other soldiers clearly couldn't do the same. A subtle sense of unease permeated the encirclement, as if the weapons in their hands couldn't provide enough security.

Before today, they were just ordinary soldiers. Suddenly, they received orders to send so many of them out to capture a guy who was suspected to be a supernatural entity. It gave people a feeling that they were about to be wiped out at any moment.

American soldiers aren't stupid; they grew up watching all sorts of horror, sci-fi, and superhero movies. How could they not understand this formula? To supernatural entities, these vanguard troops and cannon fodder are practically synonymous—stepping stones for the supernatural entities to rack up their achievements. Only after these people are all dead will a more powerful "protagonist" or "villain" make their grand entrance—and the rest of the plot depends on the movie's subject matter.

But soldiers have to carry out orders from their superiors whether they like it or not, so they came anyway, and now, except for a few particularly brave ones, everyone is in a state of high tension. They are all carrying various kinds of equipment that can easily kill hundreds of people, but even the supernatural units in the movies are not afraid of such things, right?

Why be so nervous?

Mason glanced around at the sixteen soldiers surrounding him, raised his right hand, and said, "If you're too nervous, even things that can be accomplished will go wrong. For example, if I did this, 7..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he weighed his raised right hand.

In the blink of an eye, a pistol appeared there, gleaming brightly.

The soldiers were immediately shocked. They were all veteran players who had switched from the American server. They were still highly sensitive to the environment where a cowboy duel could be recreated at the drop of a hat, where it was a matter of life and death. So the moment they saw Mason take out his gun and put his finger on the trigger, it triggered a strong PTSD in them. Even without the leader's order, the soldiers had already made their judgment. Bang!

With several loud bangs, the Taser electrode, propelled by gunpowder, shot towards Mason at a speed that, while not particularly fast, was certainly not something a human could easily dodge.

All hits!

The sharp needles at the tip of the electrodes pierced Mason's muscles without missing a single one!

A crackling sound of electricity rang out, the power to numb an elephant was unleashed from the battery inside the gun, instantly transmitting to Mason.

To be fair, they did use a very correct method of attack, because the purpose of the Taser is not to cause injury, but to control the suspect. Mason's light energy tube cannot reach this area, and if you are shocked, you will still be paralyzed.

Unfortunately, Mason had brought with him the equipment that could help him deal with this situation.

Thor's Beads! You did a great job, you did a great job!

Inside Mason's body at this moment, a high-voltage current of over 50,000 volts, enough to instantly kill an adult male, was surging back and forth. This was not like the kind of equipment that malfunctions routinely in police enforcement videos; it was probably a specially equipped enhanced version that took into account Mason's regenerative abilities.

However, under the influence of a mysterious force, the high-voltage current did not play its due role and was easily neutralized.

Don't ask, it's magic.

That's right, Mason carried the Thor's Orb with him when he went out. Just like how he easily blocked the Tentacle Shark's Atomic Breath (tentative name) with the Water God Orb before, the Thor's Orb also played a significant role in reducing elemental attacks in this situation.

However, it's not immune. If it were Storm, who could unleash a massive lightning bolt several meters thick with a Kushala Barrage, Thor's Orb would probably be unable to withstand it. But a mere Taser is a piece of cake for her; she can easily handle it.

As I said before, Paracelsus's alchemy is truly amazing.

The alchemical array he had hastily created at sea was highly efficient, but it would break down once Mason stepped out of its range. So after returning, Paracelsus took the time to make some improvements. Now he can create an alchemical array that is invisible to ordinary people over a huge area. As long as Mason walks inside and carries the Thor's Orb, he can activate the charging function at any time. He can even adjust the charging intensity with his voice, which is very user-friendly.

The only problem was that, to prevent his equipment from being destroyed, Mason put the Thor's Bead in a bag and stuffed it into his stomach—a human throat naturally couldn't swallow something that big, so he had to cut open his stomach and stuff the bead directly into his abdominal cavity. Moreover, to ensure the sensitivity of his voice control, the chitin bag made of alchemy was connected to a thread that passed through his neck—he had to thank Paracelsus for the surgical assistance, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to perform such a precise operation on his own.

It sounds a bit abstract, but it's actually true. Mason is currently feeling discomfort in his throat and stomach, but this is the price he has to pay to become stronger, and he has to endure it.

Incidentally, Paracelsus's next planned move is to set up an energy-extracting alchemical array directly on the Thor's Orb, and then find a way to bury this thing in Mason's sternum.

In this way, Mason will transform into a humanoid creature that can fire lasers and has an unidentified object on its chest that glows but dims when its mana bar is depleted.

I'm sure everyone can imagine that image.

Don't ask, the answer is simply a tribute.

Only Mason and Paracelsus knew the underlying principles, so when the soldiers saw someone being hit by three specially made Taser shots that could take down an elephant in one shot, yet not moving at all, they were all dumbfounded.

Wait, what is this? Superman, holy crap!

The soldiers, who had received a detailed explanation of the equipment data from the logistics personnel before setting off, almost in unison swallowed hard.

Is the gun broken? But it doesn't sound like it.

Without the commander giving any orders, several soldiers took out weapons different from the Taser, aimed, and fired in one smooth motion. Less than a second later, several tranquilizer darts were accurately inserted into Mason's neck and chest.

After being inserted into the skin, the compressed gas at the back of the syringe pushes the piston to inject the anesthetic into Mason's body.

According to the design goals, as long as the drugs in the syringe enter the body fluid circulation, even a creature like a rhinoceros or an elephant will collapse in a very short time. Theoretically, this is the case. However, for Mason, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with these drugs.

Is etorphine really that popular? (shakes head)

After all, he had recently injected himself with liters of various anesthetic drugs, so he was already quite familiar with the "taste" of different types.

In comparison, these tiny things, no bigger than a finger, are really nothing to worry about. If you put in the effort, they can be completely metabolized in less than two seconds.

From an outsider's perspective, the fact that Mason didn't even flinch after being shot with a tranquilizer gun was terrifying in every sense.

—Could this medicine be fake too?!

For a moment, a dozen dumbfounded soldiers watched as Mason slowly raised his hand, pulled out the electrodes and syringe from his chest, casually tossed them on the ground, and then said indifferently, "You think you can subdue me with something like this? It seems your superior isn't very smart."

After saying that, he curled his lip in disdain and raised his head, saying, "If you still value your life, then go back. I don't have the time to repeatedly advise you."

"6

'

The soldier closest to him involuntarily took two steps back and lowered his voice to the walkie-talkie attached to his helmet: "Taser invalid, repeat, Taser invalid, please give instructions, please give instructions."

"The mission continues."

The military commander on the other end of the walkie-talkie said without hesitation, "I authorize you to use any level of force. He can come back from the dead, can't he? Then beat him to a pulp and see what happens. No matter what means you use, just bring back this arrogant magician, or his corpse."

Magicians are not such rare targets that they must be captured alive at any cost. Since this guy is talking so arrogantly, let him taste the power of modern technology—that's what the decision-makers behind the scenes are thinking.